After reading hundreds of owner reviews of linen sheets, testing samples from 21 highly regarded sets, and sleeping in seven sets on our own beds, we’re confident that Cultiver Linen Sheets offer the best combination of softness, great colors and prints, and the option to buy individual pieces.

Buying Options

Cultiver’s Linen Sheets feel durable and we haven’t seen any owner complaints about the sheets wearing thin prematurely—a common occurrence among other brands. Cultiver’s sizing is a little limited (it doesn’t offer a full-size fitted sheet, and twin and California king sheets are available only by the piece), but these sheets come in the widest range of colors and prints we’ve seen. If you don’t want to spring for an entire set, you could save money using a fitted cotton sheet with Cultiver’s linen top sheet and pillowcases. Several Wirecutter staffers dress their beds this way, because cotton bottom sheets tend to be more durable. Cultiver doesn’t offer a warranty, but it does have a 30-day return window. If you’d like to feel the fabric before you purchase, you can order swatches in any color.

Buying Options

We prefer the Cultiver sheets for their softness, slightly lower price, and color options, but if you want more texture to your linen we recommend Rough Linen Sheets. These were the roughest of the seven sets we slept on, but that texture isn’t unpleasant (it’s about as prickly as a kitten’s tongue). We have read durability complaints about these sheets, but the problem doesn’t seem pervasive. Like Cultiver, Rough Linen sells its sheets by the piece, so you could slowly invest in a set, or just buy a top sheet and shams to use with a durable fitted cotton sheet. Like Cultiver, Rough Linen doesn’t offer a warranty, but will send a free sample card so you can feel the fabric before buying, and offers a 30-day return policy.

Buying Options

If you can splurge, we recommend Bella Notte Linen Sheets. They were our testers’ unanimous favorite, the softest sheets we tried, and less prone to wrinkling. Bella Notte sells by the piece and it custom-dyes each order. If you want to go full-blown romantic/bohemian-chic, the company sells a range of velvet, cotton, and lace accessories that it’ll dye to complement the sheets. If you prefer a minimalist look, the sheets themselves are very simple, with no frilly details. We highly recommend ordering swatches to make sure you like the fabric, because although Bella Notte offers a 30-day return window, it charges a steep 25 percent restocking fee.

Buying Options

If you’re looking for a less expensive set, we recommend the Belgian Flax Linen Sheets from either Pottery Barn or West Elm. We suspect they’re made from the same fabric. They’re about as soft as the Cultiver sheets, but they feel thinner and we’ve read owner complaints about the West Elm set wearing thin. They do feel softer or more durable than similarly priced sets we tried. Unlike our other picks, the Pottery Barn and West Elm sheets are sold only by the set. We recommend getting whichever one you can find on sale, when you can buy a queen set for around $200. Although you can’t order a swatch, you can check these sheets out in person at a local store and they also come with a 30-day return policy.

Why you should trust us

In preparing this guide we spoke with Shannon Maher, a former product designer for The Company Store and currently an assistant professor in the Textile Development and Marketing department at the Fashion Institute of Technology. For insider perspective on what makes great linen, we spoke with Hank Patterson, owner of the luxury linen towel company Deck Towel. After testing and deciding on our top sets, we learned how they were made and how to care for them by speaking to a representative from each brand: Tricia Rose, owner of Rough Linen; Taylor Batlin, brand director at Bella Notte; and Shannon Bean, a customer service representative at Cultiver.

To find the best sets to test, we looked closely at models featured in Architectural Digest and two posts from Apartment Therapy. We combed through owner reviews on Reddit, Apartment Therapy, and Yelp to a get a sense of people’s experiences with sheets from various brands. And we looked closely at the offerings and customer reviews for sheets sold through Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco, Macy’s, Target, Garnet Hill, Restoration Hardware, West Elm, and a number of niche linen bedding retailers.

Senior editor Christine Cyr Clisset edits Wirecutter’s bedding coverage and has long-term tested our sheet picks for three years. As a seamstress, she has observed how good and bad linen responds to wear and multiple washes. This guide builds on reporting from Preethi Gopinath and Wirecutter bed/bath writer Jackie Reeve, who co-authored our guide to the best cotton sheets. Preethi is a veteran textile designer who has created bed linens for Spring Industries and Designerie, and Jackie wrote our guides to flannel sheets, duvet covers, and blankets, among others.

Who this is for

If you know that you like the feel and old-world European charm of linen, you might like linen sheets. Linen naturally has a shabby-chic, rumpled look that can add a textural element to your bed. It’s often touted as a great sheeting fabric for summer, because it’s so breathable. However, we’ve also found linen sheets to be comfortable and insulating in the winter, so we recommend them for year-round use. Take a cue from your wardrobe: If you like wearing linen, you’ll probably enjoy sleeping on it.

While cotton sheets can feel either crisp and cool (in the case of percale) or silky and warm (as with sateen), linen has an airy feel but the fabric also has some weight to it (like a very light blanket). The texture grabs onto your body and keeps it in place. The effect is kind of like sleeping in a lovely summer breeze.

If you like wearing linen, you’ll probably enjoy sleeping on it.

Linen isn’t for everyone. If you like silky-smooth sheets, linen may feel too grainy or scratchy against your skin. It will soften up after many washes, but achieving the same smoothness you get immediately with good cotton sheets takes years. If you hate wrinkled bedding, skip linen (unless you have a staff to iron your sheets). It wrinkles easily and will never be totally smooth without ironing.

What is linen made of?

The fibers used to make linen come from the stem of the flax plant—the same crop that produces linseed oil (or flaxseed oil, in the case of nutritional supplements). Flax fibers are thicker and longer than those from cotton, which results in thicker yarns. The resulting fabric is rougher than cotton, but also stronger and more breathable.

Historically, the best linen comes from Europe, specifically Belgium, Ireland, France, and Lithuania. Flax grows best in temperate climates (while cotton thrives in hotter places like Texas, Egypt, and Turkey). Belgium in particular is known for high-quality flax because of its climate and soil conditions. That’s why you’ll often see the term “Belgian linen” or “Belgian flax linen” (indicating that the flax was grown, but not necessarily processed into fabric, in Belgium) used to advertise sheet sets from mass-market brands, like West Elm and Pottery barn. But Europe isn’t the only place that produces quality flax. As Taylor Batlin, Bella Notte’s brand director told us, “Belgian flax has always had a good reputation, but in our experience, the best linen is determined by the quality of the weave and the consistency from lot to lot in terms of durability, strength and luster.” Nowadays, the majority of factories capable of making the wide fabric for sheets—which require a double-width loom—are based in China.

“There is a consumer perception that products made in China are inferior quality, but that is not the case,” Tricia Rose, owner of Rough Linen, told us. “Cutting edge mills in China have invested in technologies ahead of Europe and America, and much of the world’s finest flax goes to China to be woven into sheeting, which must be woven on modern, double-width looms. The real concern is the quality of the finished product, over and above cost issues.” Rose also notes that mills in Europe don’t have double-width looms required to make sheeting fabric. That’s why most of the brands we tested—including from Cultiver, Rough Linen, Bella Notte, West Elm, and Pottery Barn—all use fabric made in China. Rough Linen and Bella Notte, however, sew their sheets in the United States.

How we picked

Photo: Rozette Rago

As with the best cotton sheets, linen sheets should be comfortable and long-wearing. When looking for sets to test, we prioritized the following criteria:

Reasonably soft: We wanted to avoid (or rule out) sets that felt prickly or overly rough. It’s hard to know what will be soft just out of the package. Most linen sheets are treated to soften their texture, but fabric finishes will wash away, sometimes leaving the sheets rougher. It’s frustrating to fall in love with a soft sheet in the store only to have it turn uncomfortably rough after a wash or two. Like good cotton sheets, linen sheets will soften over many washes (the joke goes that linen sheets are really soft—after 10 years of use). We wanted to find sets that we’d be happy to sleep on now, rather than after a decade sleeping on them.

Durable: We wanted to find sheets that will last for years of regular use. Although many people think of linen sheets as a buy-it-for-life purchase, our research revealed durability issues with a lot of modern linen sheets. Your ancestors might have slept on a single set of linen sheets for 50 years, but modern sets are more of a luxury purchase than a long-term investment. They are softer out of the box, but Cultiver customer service rep Shannon Bean explained that softening treatments can also prematurely age the fabric. Inferior fabric can also be a problem. “If [thinning] happens when the sheets are not that old, it would be a quality issue stemming from the fiber and yarn stage,” FIT’s Shannon Maher explained. Maher went on to say that you “can experience ‘thinning’ of the bottom sheet with all fabrications over time but sheets with better quality fiber, yarns, and construction will provide a longer life.” We read one- and two-star customer reviews, and scoured Reddit threads to find out which sets seemed to have the most durability problems.

Relatively affordable: Linen sheets are a luxury item, so you should expect to pay more for them. Many of the best-rated sets range from $250 to roughly $450 for a queen. We focused on sets in the $250 range for our original 2016 review. We considered sets that cost up to $800 for this update. We wanted to see if more expensive sheets were more durable.

Available by the piece: Because of the durability issues with linen sheets, we think purchasing by the piece is best. This allows you to easily replace pieces or to slowly build a set, depending on your budget. You can also mix and match your sheets, as several Wirecutter staffers do, using a linen top sheet and pillowcases paired with a more durable, less expensive percale bottom sheet (such as our favorite from L.L.Bean).

Your ancestors might have slept on a single set of linen sheets for 50 years, but modern sets are more of a luxury purchase than a long-term investment.

Good owner reviews: We looked closely at owner reviews on retailer sites when they were available (for many retailers they weren’t), and we also dove into many Reddit threads (including here, here, and here), where we saw an active dialogue among people who have purchased and used various brands of linen sheets. We paid close attention to feedback about customer service and durability issues.

Linen has a lower thread count than most cotton sheets because the fabric consists of thicker yarns. For example, the white West Elm linen sheet (right) has a coarser texture than the blue percale duvet cover (left) from L.L.Bean, which has a 280 thread count. Photo: Michael Hession

Manufacturers don’t advertise linen sheets with a thread count (the number of vertical and horizontal yarns in a square inch of fabric). Because linen yarns are thicker than cotton ones, fewer fit in a square inch and the resulting thread count would look dismally low. Hank Patterson, owner of linen towel company Deck Towel, told us that linen thread counts generally range between 80 and 120. By comparison, high-quality cotton percale sheets range between 200 and 300; sateen, between 300 and 600. The lower thread count is why linen sheets feel rougher than cotton ones—the yarns are thicker and therefore more pronounced in the fabric, giving it more texture.

For our original review in 2016, we researched nearly a dozen sets and tested four of them. For our 2018 update, we researched 40 more sets, and used the above criteria to narrow our list to 21 for testing.

How we tested

We ordered fabric samples or pillowcases of the 21 sets we were interested in trying. We washed and dried these five times to get rid of softeners or other treatments that might mask the true texture of the fabrics. We rubbed the samples between our hands and against our cheeks (a common test for determining fabric softness), eliminating samples we thought were too rough or heavy to make comfortable sheets, or those that showed signs of thinning. Based on these initial tests, we brought in five sets for sleep testing.

We washed these sets five times and slept on each for a minimum of two nights, paying close attention to how the sheets felt against our skin and the edge finishes on the sheets. Because each brand sent us a different size, we tried the sheets for fit on double-, queen-, and king-size beds (all with foam mattresses ranging from seven to roughly 10 inches thick).

Buying Options

Cultiver Linen Sheets offer the best combination of softness, durable-feeling fabric, and the option to purchase by the piece (if you want to slowly invest in a set, or to replace pieces). They’re more affordable than other sets sold by the piece, and they come in a wider selection of colors and prints.

The Cultiver sheets were in the midrange for softness. They’re about as soft as the West Elm and Pottery Barn sets, slightly smoother than the similarly priced Rough Linen sheets, and much smoother than the similarly priced Matteo sheets—whose samples were among the scratchiest we tried. Out of all of the sheets we tested, only the much costlier Bella Notte sheets were noticeably softer. The Cultiver sheets don’t feel as smooth as, say, a fine linen shirt that you wear all day, but it’s plenty comfortable for sleeping on and under. Cultiver’s fabric feels crisper than Bella Notte’s or Rough Linen’s (almost as if it were slightly starched), and it wrinkles about as much as most of the other sets we tried.

The Cultiver top sheet has neat-looking mitered corners and even hems along all sides. Photo: Rozette Rago

Cultiver’s fabric was in the midrange for weight/thickness. It’s thin enough to see a hand through the fabric, but feels more substantial than the West Elm or Pottery Barn linen sets. Photo: Rozette Rago

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We can’t guarantee that Cultiver’s sheets will last longer than those from other brands, but the fabric feels thicker and more substantial than the lighter sets from Pottery Barn and West Elm. Wirecutter editor Winnie Yang, who has owned linen sheets from multiple brands, and experienced durability issues with almost all of them, said her Cultiver top sheet is the only one she’s used that hasn’t developed holes. She’s used the sheet regularly for more than two years with no issues. We also haven’t seen complaints about thinning sheets in owner reviews (although we’ve also seen fewer owner reviews for Cultiver than for other brands).

We appreciate that Cultiver sells both complete sets and individual pieces.This gives you the option to slowly build a set, or to replace pieces if they wear thin. Rough Linen and Bella Notte also sell by the piece, but Cultiver’s individual pieces are less expensive. We also like that this option allows you to mix and match if you want to play with color or pattern on your bed. Some people may also prefer that Cutliver sells a fitted sheet, whereas Rough Linen sells only flat sheets meant for the top and bottom layers of the bed.

At its current price of $365 for a queen set, Cultiver is more expensive than the West Elm or Pottery Barn sets, but it’s in the middle of the price range of the sets we considered. And it’s about $35 less than Rough Linen’s sheets for a complete queen set. We also think Cultiver’s sheets feel almost as good as those from Bella Notte, which cost almost twice the price. If that’s more than you’re willing to pay, we’d recommend first buying a flat sheet and cases for $220, and using a percale fitted sheet.

The Cultiver sheets come in 15 colors (including two prints), which is the widest selection of any of our top contending sets. The colors are really pretty and offer a good balance of light and dark. If you want to look at the colors in person, you can order swatches. Cultiver’s customer service rep told us the company can generally ship the swatches within three business days, although it can take up to three weeks, depending on your location. The Cultiver set also has slightly nicer detailing than the Rough Linen set, with very clean mitered corners and thick hems along all the edges of the top sheet.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Cultiver’s sizing is more limited than other brands’. The company doesn’t sell a full-size fitted sheet, and it sells only one size of top sheet, meant to fit a queen or king bed. Shannon Bean, Cultiver’s customer service representative, told us, “As we grow and expand in the US, we are continually adding sizes all the time to expand our range!” (Cultiver is an Australian company.)

Cultiver also doesn’t offer a warranty and its return policy is pretty standard; the company will accept only unused, unwashed, and unmarked sheets within 30 days of you receiving them. We’d like to see a more generous return policy. If you’re concerned about if you’ll actually like the feel of the fabric (and if you want to do your own wash tests) we’d recommend ordering swatch samples.

Buying Options

We think Cultiver offers a nicer selection of colors and a softer fabric that most people will prefer, but Rough Linen Sheets may appeal to people who like more texture. We found them slightly grainier than the Cultiver set, with a pleasant scratchiness. Our testers liked the weight of the fabric, which feels slightly heavier than the Cultiver sheets, and more substantial than those from Pottery Barn and West Elm. Like Cultiver, Rough Linen doesn’t offer a warranty, but you can return unwashed sheets within 30 days. The company will also send a free sample card if you’d like to feel the fabric before buying sheets.

Rough Linen has a loyal following. People who have bought these sheets call them “sublime” and of “superb quality” in this forum. But we have read feedback in several Reddit threads about the sheets developing tears or holes (in one instance it happened after only six months). Wirecutter editor Winnie Yang experienced this same issue, when her top sheet thinned and developed holes and tears after only two and a half years of use (this is the same editor who later bought a Cultiver top sheet). Thinning doesn’t seem to be a pervasive problem, and we’ve seen similar complaints for linen sheets from West Elm, Restoration Hardware, and several other big brands.

Tricia Rose, owner of Rough Linen, told us that she’s not sure why some people’s sheets develop holes and others’ don’t. “I have a feeling it might have to do with their weight or the state of their pedicure,” she said. “The other thing is how you wash them, the sort of detergent you use, and the amount of detergent you use.” We cover Rose’s laundering advice in the care and maintenance section.

Rough Linen’s sheets are slightly thicker than Cultiver’s, although a hand will still show through the fabric. Photo: Rozette Rago

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Rough Linen doesn’t sell fitted sheets; instead you’re supposed to use two flat sheets, one folded around your mattress with hospital corners. We like that you can rotate the bottom and top sheets for more even wear, which might help the sheets’ longevity. The Rough Linen flat sheets have lovely seams and a particularly nice and thick top hem, which gives the sheets an elegant finish. And because Rough Linen sheets are sold by the piece, you can slowly build a set, replace pieces, or opt to use a cotton bottom sheet with a linen top sheet and pillowcases.

As with Cultiver, Rough Linen does not offer a warranty, and it offers only a 30-day return window for unused, unwashed items. If you want to inspect the fabric before purchasing sheets, order a free sample card.

Buying Options

If you want a softer set of linen sheets, and price is no object, we recommend those from Bella Notte. At their current price of $660 for a queen set they may seem ridiculously expensive, but they were our testers’ unanimous favorite. The texture feels almost buttery compared with that of the Cultiver and Rough Linen sheets, and the fabric wrinkles less and has a springy quality that makes it drape more beautifully across the bed. Bella Notte also sells its sheets, which come in eight subdued colors, by the piece.

As much as we love these sheets, we think most people will be more than happy with the Cultiver set. Similar to most luxury goods, there’s a point of diminishing returns with the Bella Notte set. They’re about 40 percent more expensive than those from Cultiver, but they’re not 40 percent softer or better constructed. We’d say they’re maybe 5 to 10 percent softer, and we actually prefer the mitered corners on Cultiver’s top sheet to the simpler edges on the Bella Notte top sheet.

For the significant price bump, there’s no guarantee you’ll get a longer-wearing sheet. We’ve seen complaints about linen sheets at all price levels (although we haven’t seen any complaints about Bella Notte sheets popping up in places like Reddit). Bella Notte’s Taylor Batlin told us, “Those of us that have been sleeping on Bella Notte from the beginning still sleep on our original sheets from over twenty year ago.”

Bella Notte’s sheets feel slightly thicker than Cultiver’s; it’s a hair harder to see a hand through the fabric. Photo: Rozette Rago

Bella Notte’s fitted sheet had the nicest construction we saw. It was the only fitted sheet with fully enclosed seams at the corners. Other brands use serged seams at the corners. Photo: Rozette Rago

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One perk you will get with these sheets is custom dyeing; Bella Notte sells a range of bedding made from linen, cotton, and velvet, and you can have whatever you order garment-dyed together. Balin told us, “Though each fabric absorbs the dye in different intensities (linens and cottons lighter, silk velvets more deeply), dying all pieces together allows us to achieve a harmonious palette for your entire bedding ensemble.” A custom-dying option is rare (Matteo was one of the only other companies we saw offering it), and the results are quite pretty.

Similar to other brands, Bella Notte does not offer a warranty and will accept returns of only unused, unwashed items within 30 days of receipt. It also charges a 25 percent restocking fee, which on a $660 set of sheets would equal an eye-popping $165. That seems incredibly steep, but Bella Notte says it charges this much because of the custom nature of the dyed fabrics (the company even calls its textiles “couture”). You may want to order swatches to make sure you like the fabric and color before ordering a set.

Buying Options

If you’re looking for an entry-level set, we equally recommend the Belgian Flax Linen Sets from Pottery Barn or West Elm. These feel identical, and we suspect they’re made of the same fabric. Purchase whichever set you find on sale—and we do think buying them is worth waiting for a sale, because both retailers frequently run them. Both sets are about as soft as the sheets from Cultiver, although the Pottery Barn and West Elm fabric feels thinner and a little flimsier, and the hem finishes on the top sheets aren’t quite as nice. But we do think the fabric feels comfortable and better than comparable options from other brands, especially if you want a light set for summer. Our main critique for these sets is that you can’t purchase individual pieces, and we have seen complaints about the West Elm set wearing thin.

Both the West Elm and Pottery Barn sets look nice on a bed and feel good against the skin (but not quite as good as the more expensive sets we tested). Photo: Rozette Rago

The fabric of both sets is thinner than Cultiver’s; you can easily see a hand through the sheets. Photo: Rozette Rago

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We tested fabric samples from a number of sets that retail for a similar price—including from Brooklinen, Parachute, L.L.Bean, Garnet Hill, The Company Store, and Zara Home—but we found them either rougher or flimsier than those of the West Elm and Pottery Barn sets. And of the 21 samples we initially tested this year—including from sets three to four times the price—the Pottery Barn and West Elm fabrics were among the softest and most pleasant against the skin. In our original 2016 linen sheet review, we featured the West Elm set as our main pick, and we still think they’re very good for their relatively low price.

We reached out to reps from Pottery Barn and West Elm (both companies are owned by Williams Sonoma) to ask if their sets are made from the same fabric. Neither rep responded to us, but the sheets feel identical, the fabric-care labels look identical (beyond the company logos), and both sets contain “Belgian Flax Linen” in their name. The only difference we could see between the sets is that the top sheet from Pottery Barn has an embroidered detail, and that the West Elm sets comes in four colors while the Pottery Barn set comes in six.

As with many linen sheets, this set may have durability issues. After using the set three times, Wirecutter editor-in-chief Jacqui Cheng found that the bottom sheet tore. Otherwise, she’s been happy with the top sheet and pillowcases for the year that she’s used them. We haven’t seen other complaints for the West Elm set, and although West Elm and Pottery Barn don’t feature customer reviews on their sites, we have seen good feedback about these sheets on Reddit.

If you don’t like the sheets, you can return either set within 30 days. A Pottery Barn customer service rep told us that the company will take washed sheets back within the 30-day return window. A West Elm rep told us that her company’s policy is the same, although she said it’s on a case-by-case basis.

Care and maintenance

Machine-wash your linen sheets and dry them on a medium heat setting. Some manufacturers recommend washing with cold water, but you can wash in warmer temperatures. Manufacturers almost universally caution against using bleach, because it’s harsh and can degrade the fabric. Tricia Rose of Rough Linen recommends using Biz detergent to banish stains on white fabric. This detergent uses enzymes to remove stains and is particularly effective at eliminating substances such as oil and residue from the body. Try your regular detergent first, and check to see if the stains have come out before you put the sheets in the dryer (you don’t want to set the stains in the dryer). Rose has a few other detergent recommendations on her company’s site.

Some people strictly advise against using fabric softeners on linen, because a waxy buildup from the softener can inhibit the fabric’s breathability. But if you find that your sheets are particularly scratchy, using a softener every once in a while is not a big deal. A softener acts in a similar way to conditioner that you might use on your hair; using it every few washes shouldn’t create much buildup.

If your sheets are really wrinkled out of the dryer, Rose recommends dampening them slightly and letting them air dry. In our experience, air-dried linen feels rougher and stiff. We prefer the more supple feel of linen dried in a dryer.

The competition

Libeco Santiago Sheets: The sample we tried felt cool, crisp, and sturdy, but more textured than the full sets we opted to test. We think some people may find these sheets too rough. This brand has a very good reputation among linen lovers, so if you want sheets with more texture these may be a good match for you.

Linoto 100% Linen Sheet Set: We tested five pillowcases from Linoto in different colors, and every sample felt really different. All of the fabric felt thicker and scratchier than the sets we opted to test, a few verging on the weight of light denim or canvas. We think the texture of these sheets will be too rough for many people, but we do think the fabric feels sturdy and may wear well over time. One tester who doesn’t mind a rougher texture found the cases pleasant to sleep on.

Garnet Hill Solid Relaxed Linen Bedding: The pillowcase we tested was in the middle range of softness (not all that soft, but not the scratchiest). After five washes it was very wrinkled and creased. We think the set would need ironing to look good on a bed.

Eileen Fisher Washed-Linen Sheets: We tested a pillowcase from this set, also sold through Garnet Hill, and it felt thin and a little rougher than the plain Garnet Hill Solid Relaxed linen sheets. We didn’t think the fabric was as nice as our top picks’.

Brooklinen Linen Core Sheet Set: The fabric of this set feels very wispy, with a weave that’s noticeably looser than that of many of the sets we tested. The fabric was very soft, but we were concerned about its long-term durability.

Parachute Linen Sheet Set: These sheets were in the middle of the pack of our testers. They weren’t that soft, and after five washes they wrinkled a lot. They do come in some great colors, though.

L.L.Bean Sunwashed Linen Sheet Collection: The pillowcase we tested felt very thin, the weave felt loose, and after five washes we could start to see through the pillowcase in sections. We found these sheets were in the middle of the pack for softness.

The Company Store Comfort Wash Solid Linen Sheets: The pillowcase we tested felt about on a par with the Garnet Hill and L.L.Bean samples, but with slightly nicer detailing on the pillowcases. It didn’t feel as soft as or better than the sets we ultimately decided to test.

Zara Home Washed Linen Sheets: The pillowcase we tested felt rougher than our favorite sets. We also found that Zara seems to frequently sell out of colors.

Cuddledown Italian Linen Plain-Sewn Sheets: The pillowcase we tested felt very crisp, even after five washes, and was in the middle of the pack for softness (not super rough, but also not super smooth). One of our staffers has owned a set of these, and found the fitted sheet started tearing and developing holes after six months.

Matteo Vintage Linen: We were hoping to like this set, given the lovely color selection and that you can purchase by the piece. But we found the fabric very scratchy, and it was one of the least pleasant of the linen samples we tried.

Hawkins New York Stonewashed Linen Bedding: We were drawn to these sheets when we saw them on Food52, but the pillowcase we tried felt very rough and after five washes it wrinkled a lot. This was our least favorite of the samples we tried for 2018.

Restoration Hardware Stonewashed Belgian Linen Sheet Set: We liked this set when we tested it in 2016, but we were concerned about its durability. We read complaints on Apartment Therapy (here and here) and in one Reddit thread about the sheets quickly wearing thin. Two Wirecutter staffers owned this set and experienced the same issue, one within a year and the other within four years after purchase.